About PK Designs

Hi there!

I'm Paul Kahl, owner and photographer for PK Designs. I've been a photographer at one stage or another for most of my life, but I discovered a true love of photography on my honeymoon.

I call myself a "Sometime Photographer, sometime Developer, full time puppy-friendly guy", and I mean every word. By day, I'm a Web Developer for a large Pacific Northwest telecom. By night/weekend, I'm everything else: a Gamer; a Photographer; a Volunteer.

Photography is my passion.

I love to be behind a camera, taking pictures of animals, landscapes, skylines, flowers, rocks, sports... Life is just waiting to be captured.

Puppy Rescue Photography

In the summer of 2012, I was introduced to a new passion: volunteering with a puppy rescue here in Washington state. I started the usual way: donating as much as I could afford to help rescue these little pups. But it wasn't long before I took that to the next level.

Since I own a camera, I contacted the rescue (Georgia Peaches Puppy Rescue) and volunteered to help them by taking pictures of the puppies. I figured that it would be far easier to find homes for these little fur balls if they weren't shown locked up in a cage at the shelter.

My work with the Peaches consists of taking photos of the dogs when they first arrive in Seattle, as well as when they are getting puppy training, and, when possible, in their new homes. This creates a story, a puppy trail, going from 'shelter puppy' to 'rescued' and 'loved' puppy.

Working with the Georgia Peaches has also opened the way for me to adopt my first rescue dog. It's wonderful how a hobby and personal passion can lead to so much fun and happiness.

Seattle Sounders

It's not all honeymoons and puppies! In addition to those precious moments being captured, I also love sports photography, and the sport I love most is Soccer!

My wife and I have been ticket holders for the Seattle Sounders Football Club for three seasons now. When we first started going, it was all about the game - Go to the stadium, get some Ball Park Food™, find our seats, and proceed to stand for the next 90 minutes, cheering our fool heads off. And then I remembered that my love of soccer stemmed from growing up playing the sport. Grade school, High School, a little in college - Soccer, it seemed, was in my blood. And with that insider's knowledge of the sport, that eye that knew when to look, and where, I decided to combine my passion for the World's Game with my passion for Photography.

The first time I took a camera to the match (that's Football-ese for 'game'), I missed all the great moments - I was too excited to remember I had the camera! But it didn't take long before I was chanting and snapping pics at the same time.

in 2017, my dream finally came true, and I've been on the pitch for every match, taking pictures of the Seattle Sounders FC.

Zoo (and wildlife) Photography

You might have guessed by now that I love animals. In almost every form, whether they have fur, scales, or feathers, I can't get enough of them. And yet, even with this love, you might be amazed to know that until a few short years ago, I had never been to the zoo. I'd been living in Seattle for nearly 12 years before I visited the Woodland Park Zoo, and from the moment I saw the first animal there (I believe it was a Zebra), I was entranced.

Three years later, I still take every chance I get to head out to the WPZ, and capture images of these amazing creatures. I've learned their stories, [some of] their names, even watched them have babies. And every time I take a picture, I try my best to show the animal not as you would see it at a zoo, but as you would see it in nature.

Landscape Photography

I don't think I could rightfully call myself a 'photographer' if I wasn't ready, willing, and able to do Landscape Photography. Capturing the quick-moving parts of the world is fantastic, but there is great majesty, serenity, and beauty all around us.

Whether it's skyscraper skylines, or massive peaks rising to the clouds, landscape photography encompasses the whole of the earth. Capturing the mountains jutting out of the earth, or spires reaching for the stars can be both pleasing to the eye, and a pleasant task to perform.

But landscapes aren't just the massive, the majestic, or the man-made - landscapes are also the minute, the flowing, the hidden. Seeing a waterfall frozen in time, or better still a waterfall flowing for all time, hanging on your wall can give you peace at the end of a long day, and help you find that spirit-lifting moment when you need it most.

I find great calm, paired with adrenaline surging excitement, when taking pictures outdoors. Catching that elusive sunrise, freezing a waterfall forever, and showing the heights than man can climb - these are all part of Landscape Photography at its best.

Close-up (Macro) Photography

Sometimes, I need to dive in, get closer, get macro. Macro Photography is that special type of picture-taking where you drill into the miniature, getting down to the small parts of the visible world. It can be beautiful, and at the same time mind-opening.

Through macro photography, I've seen insects inside flowers, the texture on a pebble, and my own reflection in the side of a marble. Sometimes I'm surprised to see details I wouldn't have guessed were there - small things that might have been visible to the naked eye, but I would never have thought to look for.

Looking through a macro lens gives me insight into the minute, the minuscule. It shows me that the Earth is full of wonders, down to the tiniest level, just waiting for us to see them.